This year’s goal isn’t being measured in dollars, but there is an incentive to give.

The United Way of Onslow County kicked off its 58th annual campaign Wednesday morning. This year’s theme is “Change the Story.”

United Way President Craig Wagner asked the crowd gathered at the Jacksonville Country Club to think about their favorite book and how they felt as the characters got introduced and the plot unfolded.

“No matter what, you knew how that story ended. But what if you didn’t?” he said.

The earliest chapters lay the foundation, according to Wagner, but “unlike a novel” the human story is able to continue evolving.

And it’s that story that the United Way hopes to see change by helping area children succeed and area families become financially stable. He said he hopes the United Way and its partners will help rescue Onslow County’s children by preventing needs, intervening to address immediate issues and eliminating future needs.

“We’re already seeing a return on investment,” Wagner said of the plan.

For example, the Belgrade Community Enrichment Program began three years ago and has since helped many area children stay on track at school and have a place to go after school and during summers. The program also provides programs to assist parents.

Addressing issues such as falling behind in school helps area children change the outcome of their story, Wagner said.

According to Scott Riggs, chairman of the United Way Board, Onslow County has grown in recent years and “with that growth, there's still need and with that need comes opportunity.”

The United Way is not measuring their goal in dollar amounts this year since, according to Wagner, if the goal was not met in previous years it looked as though their community partners failed when, in fact, they were working hard to raise money for the organization. This year, instead, they’ll be measuring involvement, and they’ve already seen an increase since several new businesses have come on board, he said.

“Whether it’s time or money, there’s various ways the community can support the United Way,” he said. “The sky’s the limit.”

But donating money is what may put area residents in the running for a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic LT that President of Marine Chevrolet Cadillac Mike Alford said is fully equipped. Those who contribute a $78 annual pledge, or $1.50 per week, will be entered to win the car, which is the fourth Marine Chevrolet has donated as incentives for the United Way campaign. A finalist will be drawn weekly for 20 weeks plus one finalist will be selected through the Facebook second chance drawing. In order to participate in the second chance drawing, contestants must like both United Way and Marine Chevrolet Cadillac on Facebook.

Page 2 of 2 - A 42-inch Vizio LED Smart 3D TV will be awarded to the first runner-up while second runner-up will receive an Apple iPad mini.

To find out more about getting involved, call the United Way at 910-347-2646.

“We all have a stake in making Onslow County a vibrant community where people can thrive,” Wagner said. “...We’ve had a great morning, we’ll have a great campaign, now let’s get to work.”

The United Way works to ensure services are available in the community by providing grants to 25 Community Investment Programs to 13 local partner agencies, according to information from the organization. Each program applying for a one-year grant is thoroughly screened and reviewed by a panel of volunteers to make sure that donor investments will have the most impact possible.

The partner agencies report semi-annually to United Way on the progress they’re making. The 2013-14 partner agencies and community investment programs are:

- USO-NC Jacksonville Center’s homecoming and deployment support program and no dough dinners

United Way initiatives also include the Community Advisory Network Developing Onslow County, or CAN-DO, which works to help area homeless; Imagination Library, which helps get books to children and prepare them for kindergarten; Children Healthy Eating on Weekends, which provides area students with meals for the weekends; Center for Financial Stability, which helps area residents work toward being financially stable; The Jacksonville Onslow Disaster Relief Fund, which aids in the wake of natural disasters; and Stuff the Bus, which collects school supplies for students in need.

Amanda Hickey is the government reporter at The Daily News. She can be reached at amanda.hickey@jdnews.com.